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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

NASCAR wise not to fine Brad Keselowski over tweeting from car

Associated Press photoBrad Keselowski walks on the track at Daytona during Monday night's red flag, carrying the phone he used to Tweet from his car.

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The rumor Tuesday was that NASCAR might fine Brad Keselowski, who famously tweeted pics from the track via his iPhone while the fire from the jet dryer crash red-flagged the race.

The immediate effect was that Brad got a ton of new Twitter followers, more than 100,000 new ones in fact, but in the aftermath there was talk NASCAR might fine Keselowski, as his phone being in the car might have been in violation of some technical rules, mainly because it could in theory be used as a recording device or to communicate via channels other than the headset.

Well, we all know Brad didn't mean to do any of that, and was just having fun tweeting -- which he does all the time and has for a long time.

So I was glad to see NASCAR issue this statement today:"NASCAR will not penalize #2-Brad Keselowski for his use of Twitter during last night's Daytona 500. Nothing we've seen from Keselowski violates any current rules pertaining to the use of social media during races. As such, he won't be penalized. We encourage our drivers to use social media to express themselves as long as they do so without risking their safety or that of others."

This is the right way to think. Social media is a great thing for the sport, and it may have found its ambassador in Keselowski. He's a trendsetter here, and should be celebrated, not fined. A fine would've made NASCAR look foolish, and I'm glad they realized that.

As long as he's not trying to take pics with the phone while driving at 200 mph (and honestly, I don't think that would be even possible), I'm cool with Brad tweeting from the car. And NASCAR should be too.

Don't judge Danica on DaytonaPeople are often quick to judge. In the case of Danica Patrick, with her huge media spotlight, this is especially true.

So when she wrecked in the Twins, Nationwide and the 500, many NASCAR fans are quick to judge, saying she's not ready for NASCAR.

But hold the phone.

We all know Daytona is a crapshoot due to pack racing. If someone wrecks ahead of you, you are pretty much out of luck, and she was in that situation. The only way to avoid the carnage is to be up front all night like Matt Kenseth was on Monday.

No, I won't judge Danica on her Daytona wrecks. She was just a passenger in most of that carnage, and the restrictor plate races are not a good benchmark for any driver, including her.

The next race for Danica is Darlington, where it's all about the driver. That's when we should start to judge her performance and how much she's improved since starting in NASCAR a couple years back.

Mayfield indictedIn case you care, and I' m sure most people don't anymore at this point, former NASCAR winner Jeremy Mayfield has been indicted on several counts of felony larceny, as he alleged was in possession of stolen property. The new charges came Monday and are in addition to other possession of stolen charges that came last week.

However this ends, Mayfield's descent from a winning NASCAR driver to a reputed drug user who is facing larceny charges is a sad, cautionary tale. It's a testament to the fact that no matter where you are in your life, there's always a chance it will all go away if you don't live your life properly.

About Me

Matt Myftiu is news editor at The Oakland Press and has been working at the Press for the past nine years. He knows a ridiculous amount about both NASCAR and technology, and will share his wisdom on those topics with you via his Beyond the Track and Tech Time blogs.
Follow him on Twitter @MattMyftiu, and visit the Facebook pages NASCARBeyond and OPTechTime.
He can be reached via email at matt.myftiu@oakpress.com.